Improvement in power-looms for weaving counterpanes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERASTUS B. BIGELOV, OF LANCASTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPRDVEMENT IN POWER-LOOMS FOR`WEAV|NG COUNTERPANES,&C.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2,741, `dated July 28, 1842.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ERAsTUs B. BIGELOW, of Lancaster, in the county of Torcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented -certain Improvements in the Power-Loom for Weaving Counterpanes and other Figured Goods; and I dc hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

These improvements in looms consist, first, in the manner of strengthening the lathe, the breast-beam, and the top back girth, in order to Weave cloth of great Width and thickness, and, secondly, in the manner of delivering out the chain or warp and of taking up the finished cloth, which is effected in such a manner as 'to cause a given number of threads of filling to form a given length of cloth.

Figurel is a perspective view of the parts employed and of the manner of using them to strengthen the lathe, the breast-beam, alnd the top back girth. Fig.`2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is a plangiving a top view of the gearing and the lathe-cranks, the lathe being removedl for the purposeof showing them the more distinctly. Fig. 4. is an end view of the loom, showing the apparatus employed to deliver out the chain or warp and to takeV up the iinished cloth. Fig. 5 is a front View thereof.` Fig. 6 is a plan of said apparatus with the breast-beam removed.

In each of these figures Where the same parts are shown they are designated bythe same letters of reference.

The first improvement :to be described is the mode of strengthening the lathe, breastbeam, and top back girth. The breast-beam and top back girth are strengthened by means of cross-braces extending across the loom from the breast-beam to the top back girth at suitable distanccs from each other and` from the ends of the loom. The lathe is strengthened by means of gearing it at both ends of the loom and by employing four swords and four lathe-cranks. y

A A is the main frame-work of the loom; B, the breast-beam, and C the top back girth.

Y D and E are the back and front bottom girths.

Gr G are the cross-braces used to strengthen the breast-beam B and the back girth C and to support the shafts which operate the loom.

II H is the driving-shaft, which extends along the loom, and has the co`g=whcels I I affixed to it, which wheels gear into and drive the cog-wheels J .Laliixed to the cam-shaft K. When the cam-shaft K extends across the loom, as shown in Fig.V 3, one of the cog-wheels I I may be dispensed with; butin some cases it is convenient to divide thelcam-shaft K in the middle, in which case both 'the wheels I I are required. The cog-wheels .I .I take into and turn the cog-wheels L L, which are affixed to their respective lathe-shafts M M.

To the shafts M M the cranks N N are affixed.

O O O are the swords of the lathe, which vibrate on their respective studs I P P. In

the upper ends of the swords O O O circular slots are formed, in which the rollers on the cranks N N N Work in the ordinary way.

Qis the lathe to which the swords O O O are bolted at their upper ends. By this arrangement itis evident that cloths of great Width and thickness maybe Wrought Without bending the breast-beam, the top back girth, or the lathe.

The second improvement to be described is the mode of delivering out the chain or `Warp and of taking up the finished cloth,

which is effected in such a manner as to. cause a given number of threads of illing to form a given length of cloth. The apparatus by which this is effected is shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

R is the yarn-beam which contains the warp and turns in bearings in the frame A. The Warp passes from the yarn-beam R over the top back girth through the harness and reed, thence over the breast-beam B down to `and is wound onto the cloth-roller S. The

cloth-roller S is turned to wind up the cloth by means of a lever, click, ratchet, and pinion operating in the common way.

'l is the lever, which is actuated by a stud extending from one of the swords of the lathe O O, and has y the Weight U suspended from one end to give tension to the cloth, and to the other end of said lever the click V ispattached, which acts on the ratchetwheel W.

' X is a pinion aiiixed to the ratchet-Wheel YV, and takes 'into and turns the cogged Wheel Y on the axis of the cloth-roller S.

This apparatus being in common use, its operation is well understood by machinists.

The vmode'of delivering the chain or warp from the yarn-beam and of regulating its de their respective ratchet-wheels c and d and turning on their respective shafts a and l) as their fulcra.

g and h are clicks which vibrate on the arms of their respective Vibrating levers c Yand f, and act on and turn their respective ratchet-wheels c and d, as shown most distinctly in Fig. 6. The other arms of the vibratin g levers e and j' are connected together by the rod 'L'.

j is a stud which projects from the outer side of the rod t'.

7c is a connecting-rod, one end of which is jointed to the outer end of the stud j, and the other end is bent in a hooked form and works in -a groove in the stud fn.

l is a spiral spring, one end of which is attached to the rod c' and the other end to the stand m,which is bolted to the frame A. Vhen the lathe moves forward to beat up the cloth, the rod k draws the rod rforward7 which, ythrough the medium of the vibrating levers e and f, causes the click g and h to turn their respective ratchet-wheels c and d to a'certain distance. Then when vthe lathe lrecedes from the face of the cloth the spiral spring Z draws back the rod c' until the stud 7' strikes the stand fm, which limits its motion. By this ar- -rangement the click g is made to turnthe ratchet-wheel c one tooth every thread of filling introduced, while the yclick h is made to turn the ratchet-wheel d one or more teeth, according to the length of warp required to be delivered out. There is a worm or endless screw o, affixed to the upper end of the Vertical shaft b, which takes into and turns the cog-wheel p on the axis of the yarnbeam R.

The mode of regulating' the action of the click h on the ratchet-wheel d so as to cause the yarn-beam R to give out the required length of warp is described as follows: A worm or endless screw q is afiixed to the upper end of the vertical shaft a and takes into and turns the cog-wheel r on the outer end of the shaft s. One end of the shaft s turns in the frame Aand the other end thereof in the stand t, which is screwed to the under sidel of the breast-beam`B- u is a measuringroller, the axes-of which turn in the frame c. Thel periphery of the measuring-roller a is armed with sharp metallic points to prevent its slipping on the cloth. The measuring-rolleru is connected to the shaft s by means of coupling-joints w w, which are so adjusted as to cause the shafts s to turn the measuring-roller u and at the same time to allow the saidv measuring-roller u to vibrate vertically or horizontally. The frame o is connected by means of a joint-pin to the vertical frame fr, which vibrates in' the stands y y and is suspended therefrom, as shown distinct-ly in No. l, Fig. 6. fr is a spring which acts on the vertical frame a; and forces the measuring-roller a against the cloth. a is a lever, one end of which vibrates in the stud b and the other end thereof Vis connected to the regulating-lever c. The lever a is connected to the frame v by the rod d', so that when the frame o is raised it raises the lever a. The regulating-lever c vibrates on the fulcrum c', and the arm at the back side of the loom is connected to the click h bythe g cord or wire f.

The operation of this apparatus is, as follows: l have already said that the cloth is wound on the cloth-roller S by means of thelever T, the click V, the ratchet-wheel W, and the pinion X, which co-operate in such a manner as to wind up thecloth as fast 'as the delivery of the warps from the yarn-beam R .allow itA to pass from the loom. Now; suppose that the Aclick h were allowed to act on the ratchet-wheel d every vibration of the vibrating lever f, it

is evident that the length of the warp delivered from the yarn-beam R during the introduction of a given number of picks of iilling would vary in proportion to the variation in the diameter of the yarn-beam, which is continually diminishing as the Warps are deliv-. ered out. To obviate this difficulty and regulate the action of the click h on the ratchetwheel d, the measuring-roller 'a' is employed, which is made to turn on its axis in such a degree as to cause the periphery thereof `to pass through a given space every thread lof filling introduced-that is to say, the periphery of said measuring-roller a is made to pass over as much space every thread of filling introduced as said thread of filling is to occupy in the cloth. Now it will be evident that when the measuring-roller u is turned on its axis, as aforesaid, the metallic points on its periphery will cause it to climb up on the cloth and raise the frame c, which, by means of the iod d', the lever a', the regulating-lever c', and the cord or wire f, will depress the click h and allow it to act on the ratchet-Wheelclalld turn the yarn-beam R. Then in case too much warp is being delivered out, the measuring-roller u descends with the cloth as itis wound on the cloth-roller S, raises the click h, and cuts off its action on the ratchet-wheel d. Thus it is evident that a given number of threads of filling will form a length of cloth equal to the space passed over bythe periphery of the measuring-roller a. Therefore the number of picks of filling to an inch in the cloth may be varied at pleasure either by varying the diameter of the measuring-roller u or the number of teeth in the cog-wheel fr or in the ratchet-wheel c.

The following modifications may be made in the manner of constructing this apparatus: First, instead of a sin gle measuringroller with metallic points on its periphery, two rollers may be used,`which may be so arranged in a vibrating trame as to press toward each other with the cloth between them,and these may climb up on said cloth when turned in the same manner and accomplish the same end as the single roller above described; sec-` ondly, the measuring rolleror rollers may be applied to act on the yarn or warp instead of on the cloth; thirdly, the measuring roller or rollers may be so arranged as to operate by forming a `suitableconnection therewith to regulate the action of the machinery employed to Wind u p the finished cloth, as Well as to regulate the action of the machinery employed to deliver out the Warp. These, together with similar modifications of the machine, may be made Wit-hout changing the principle on which it operates, the action being substantially the same with that herein described. A i

Having thus fullydescribed the improvements in the power-loom, it is to be understood that I do not claim the employmentof a measuring-roller or of measuring-rollers operating upon the principle or in the manner of that herein described and marked u', for the purpose of regulating the action of the machinery used to deliver out the chain or Warp, or to regulate the operation ot that employed to take up the finished cloth; but

I do claiml. The manner herein described 0f constructing and arranging the apparatus by which the measuring-roller is connected with such machinery, Whether employed to vdeliver out the chain or Warp or to take up the inishedcloth, and these I claim whether the apparatus used for attaining the end in View be made precisely in the form and manner herein set forth or in any form which is substantially the same in its construction and operation.

2. The herein-described improvements in the manner of strengthening the lathe, the breast-beam, and the top back girth in order to Weave cloth of great width and thickness, the manner in which I have constructed and arranged the parts for effecting this object being the introduction of one, two, or more intermediate cross-frames and one, two, or more intermediate and additional swords, which are, as I believe, altogether new and essential in the Weaving of broad and heavy goods.

ERASTUS B. BIGELOW.

Witnesses:

EBENEZER RHoADEs, BENJN. H. RHoADEs. 

